Bullet casting

[AzShooter]

[edit: The following thread started out as a Want To Buy thread in the classified section. It is no longer a WTB thread. the discussion seems worthy of it's own thread, so it was moved here. - Admin.]

I know there's got to be someone out there that's decided they no longer are into casting large volumes. I'm looking for a well used machine that I can cast about 500 rounds an hour on. I already have a Star Lube Sizer that I'm very impressed with so I'd like to get one of their casting machines as well.

[Flexmoney]

Are you talking about the handle operated unit (Master Caster)?

If so, the the 2nd place Revolver shooter (John B.) took one off the prize table at the Area 2 match last year. He appeared to be shooting non-cast bullets in the match.

[AzShooter]

That's the one I'm looking for. Thanks. Do you have any contact information on John?

[vrmn1]

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showuser=7116

I think this his him.

[z40acp]

They have one on Cast Boolits forum in their swappin and sellin.

[AzShooter]

That one sold.

[HSMITH]

I used to cast 1200-1500 per hour out of a Lee 6 cavity aluminum mold pretty easily. It would absolutely ravage 2 of the 20 pound lead pots if you wanted to cast more than 40 pounds in a session, I ended up with a 12 quart dutch oven on a turkey fryer burner that holds 100+ pounds easily and PLENTY of BTU's to keep the melt sustained when I added 8-10 pounds of ingots at a time. Running two sets of the Lee 6 hole blocks I could break 2000 per hour but damn that gets to be a lot like work.....

Casting sucks, get a fast economical set up that will allow you to cast 100+ pounds at a session, it spaces the work out enough that it isn't too bad. I would cast 2-300 pounds at a time, spend an afternoon doing it just to get it over with and then lube/size bullets as I needed them.

[AzShooter]

I've got a Lee six cavity mould now. I haven't counted how many I can cast in an hour. I guess I really need to just commit myself when I'm out in the garage, even if it's over 100 degrees.

I've always casted for my black powder guns but never really neaded more than 100 bullets at a time. Casting for the pistol takes a lot more time but it's sure saving me a lot of money compared to the prices people are charging for cast bullets these days.

Fogedabood shooting jacketed.

[vrmn1]

I cast just about all of my bullets, thats the only way I can afford to shoot.

The 4 cavity and 6 cavity molds are a God send.

AND I STILL can't keep up.

Like HSMITH I use a big dutch oven I have never counted how many bullets I can cast per hour, I just cast until I get tired.

Or here in Georgia where it is 95 degrees and 95% humidity I cast until I stop sweating.

[Intel6]

I never had a problem with casting the bullets, it was the lubesizing. Now that I have a Star, the problem is solved. I mostly use the 6 cavity Lee's for volume thought I do have 2 cav. for low volume or ones that are not made in the 6x. I typically run 2x 6 cavities at a time and can turn out a decent amount of bullets is a short amount of time.

I have seen the master caster run and I don't know that it would be faster? You are only casting 2x bullets at a time and while you might have less rejects and it might be easier (pushing & pullin the handle), I don't think it is faster than running 2x of the the 6 cavity moulds?

Neal in AZ

[Flexmoney]

Internet reports that I've read are that it isn't faster, just easier and less stress.

The Master Caster is rated at 500-800 per hour. It has a 40lb pot.

Somebody check my math. If you ran 35lbs that would give you over 1,000 of 230g ? That would seem to make for a nice session.

[HSMITH]

Yes, it is over 1000. You will lose a few on the front end warming the blocks up, and a few during the run just because, so I don't think you would get 1000 keepers but it would be close.

[AzShooter]

I used my 6 cavity Sunday and was able to cast just over 300 bullets in 20 minutes not rushing.

I think I need to order a second 6 cavity mould because it would be less strain on using one. I think it overheated a bit.

Right now I only have a 20 lb pot. I've been putting the sprues in a box as I cast but I'm going to start letting them drop back into the pot. I don't think it will upset the temperature that much and will give me much more lead to cast with. I almost emptied the pot and had to fill it up again.

I weighed all the bullets and there were 4 distinct groups of 172 173 174 and over. The few over went back into the pot. Now I have to separate the others and shoot them in + or - .5 grain lots.

I'm hoping the Master Caster will be more accurate over the long run.

[dlp40cal]

where do you git a master caster system. who makes it and where to git one. is there a web address to see one.

[colt]

Magma Engineering magmaengr.com I have a star sizer with the air cylinder !! Well worth it !!

I use 2 20 lb. lee pots and 4 cavity seaco molds .One pot to cast off the bottom and the other to clean it. Bye the time I cast enough bullets off the one pot the other is cleaned and ready to cast , then I scope it over all ready melted. No loss of time waiting on pot to heat up.

You will save at lot more time on sizing with a star sizer. Straight through sizing.

[SharonAnne9x23]

when I did cast, I used a custom Lee 6 cavity, 155 gr SWC .452". I had 2 Lee 20# pots. When the first got low I sat the mold on top of the full pot, loaded the empty pot, then continued casting. Sitting the full mold on the full hot-pot, the mold did not cool too much to adversely affect the next bullets cast. Of course, all sprues and bad bullets went into the pot to be recast.

Eventually I found that casting bullets cut into my overtime at work and one days O.T. bought 3 months of bullets, so I stopped casting and worked the overtime. No overtime available now.

[5Shot]

I used my 6 cavity Sunday and was able to cast just over 300 bullets in 20 minutes not rushing.

I think I need to order a second 6 cavity mould because it would be less strain on using one. I think it overheated a bit.

Right now I only have a 20 lb pot. I've been putting the sprues in a box as I cast but I'm going to start letting them drop back into the pot. I don't think it will upset the temperature that much and will give me much more lead to cast with. I almost emptied the pot and had to fill it up again.

I weighed all the bullets and there were 4 distinct groups of 172 173 174 and over. The few over went back into the pot. Now I have to separate the others and shoot them in + or - .5 grain lots.

I'm hoping the Master Caster will be more accurate over the long run.

2 molds would definitely help, and one other trick is to speed cool the sprue - you have a damp rolled up wash cloth next to your casting station, and when the sprue starts to harden, you turn the mold over and rest it on the wash cloth. The moisture will hasten the cooling of the sprue and allow you to open the mold sooner. It also keeps it from getting too hot. If you keep the wash cloth in an old tupperware with just a TINY bit of water in the bottom, it will stay moist for a long time.

Just keep it well away from the pot - I use the method when casting large bullets for a 45LC or 45-70 and it works great.

You don't do this until after the mold is up to temp, or it will take forever to get it going.

Cast Booloits has lots of tricks like this to make casting faster.

5Shot

[redmanfixit]

I've been casting for awhile now with the Lee 6 cavity TL mold. I have found that resting the mold on the edge of the pot as I'm heating it up to begin casting brings it up to temperature nicely, almost never any bad bullets. I have been running the 230gr TL bullet design for awhile in my 1911 and in my Glock 21sf with no leading problem, very good accuracy at 170 IPSC power factor. I think the lee alox bullet lube works well except for being slightly sticky. NO sizing operation this way. I'm a little paranoid when I drop a partial mag in the sand, after I pick it I want to unload it and wipe the bullet noses off. I'm shooting lead I recover from ranges I shoot at. 1 in particular is an indoor with a steel backstop that drops them nicely into a long row to pick up. I use the dutch oven and turkey fryer trick for melting and cleaning and pour the out put into ingots that weigh about 4# each. If I pause a moment and plunk an ingot into the 20# pot the level never gets low and the mass of melted lead keeps the pot from overworking. Cooling the bottom of the aluminum mold occasionally after I get up to speed by touching it to a damp cloth sucks heat right out and the sprue's cut easily. The mold doesn't seem to mind at all. I don't think I'd do it with an iron mold that way. Iron has such a high specific heat. A fan to disperse lead fumes and keep me cool! The Magma unit seems OK but I can make 1500 or so bullets in an hour and a half or 2. Nice karma Yoga as I don't sit that well. Cheap done right can be a GOOD thing. More money to spend on guns. Don't know if any of this will help!

OBTW a local metal recycler pays .35 per # for dross from cleaning! Lots of copper and of course I can't flux ALL the lead out. It's kind of nice to place it like that as that part of the leftover is fairly toxic. OH yeah...I'm a bee keeper so I have a wazoo full of beeswax around for fluxing. Easy to make a good bullet lube that way too if I want!!

[HSMITH]

I've been casting for awhile now with the Lee 6 cavity TL mold. I have found that resting the mold on the edge of the pot as I'm heating it up to begin casting brings it up to temperature nicely, almost never any bad bullets. I have been running the 230gr TL bullet design for awhile in my 1911 and in my Glock 21sf with no leading problem, very good accuracy at 170 IPSC power factor. I think the lee alox bullet lube works well except for being slightly sticky. NO sizing operation this way. I'm a little paranoid when I drop a partial mag in the sand, after I pick it I want to unload it and wipe the bullet noses off. I'm shooting lead I recover from ranges I shoot at. 1 in particular is an indoor with a steel backstop that drops them nicely into a long row to pick up. I use the dutch oven and turkey fryer trick for melting and cleaning and pour the out put into ingots that weigh about 4# each. If I pause a moment and plunk an ingot into the 20# pot the level never gets low and the mass of melted lead keeps the pot from overworking. Cooling the bottom of the aluminum mold occasionally after I get up to speed by touching it to a damp cloth sucks heat right out and the sprue's cut easily. The mold doesn't seem to mind at all. I don't think I'd do it with an iron mold that way. Iron has such a high specific heat. A fan to disperse lead fumes and keep me cool! The Magma unit seems OK but I can make 1500 or so bullets in an hour and a half or 2. Nice karma Yoga as I don't sit that well. Cheap done right can be a GOOD thing. More money to spend on guns. Don't know if any of this will help!

OBTW a local metal recycler pays .35 per # for dross from cleaning! Lots of copper and of course I can't flux ALL the lead out. It's kind of nice to place it like that as that part of the leftover is fairly toxic. OH yeah...I'm a bee keeper so I have a wazoo full of beeswax around for fluxing. Easy to make a good bullet lube that way too if I want!!

A man cut from the same cloth. I am a little more aggressive with my cooling methods and the Lee 6 hole molds, but the result is similar and I use dollar store emergency candles for fluxing and save the precious (to me) bees wax for making my bullet lube.

[AzShooter]

I'm convinced that getting a second mould would be great. I've also learned a lot from all the advice here.

I called Magma today and asked if they ever got in old machines and sold them. The woman warmed me not to buy an old machine because it was probably worn out. " I asked if it was a good product then and long they would last?" She didn't get the joke.

For now I'll cast with my Lee mould and get a second one. I have the one the bullets have to be sized and I have the TL mould. After working with the TL I didn't want to have to worry about dirt on the bullets so I added the other mold.

I'll still use the TL for casual bullet making and for when friends want to shoot my guns for fun. I can also use more lead in the mix and save my wheel weights and lino type for the bullets that count.

Thanks for all the help. I knew posting here would be the right place. Even better than the two Casting sites I go to.

[Flexmoney]

Az,

If this is no longer a classified, let me know. I'll move it to a discussion area (and I'll add in some links/info for anybody else that might be curious).

[recon215]

Sounds good flex! Make a casting bullets section maybe?

[jmorris]

I liked the idea of the mastercaster, so I looked at the pictures they had and dusted off my drafting scale. The machine is based on a cast aluminum frame (which I couldn’t make) and was manually operated (which I didn’t want), but it didn’t seem overly complicated. So I ordered a set of molds from them for 230grn LRN .45. I made a melting pot from 7 ”round pipe with 3 /8” walls, it’ll hold just under 60# of lead (1750 bullets worth). Wrapped it with a new (a used one doesn’t like to bend) 3500-watt oven element I got from the Sears repair center ($9.47). I had a few Yokogawa PID controllers, so I used one of them for my thermostat. I hooked the controller to a 12v dc actuated 230v ac solid state relay. I was then melting wheel weights. I soon covered the element with .045 stainless steel to keep the heat in and off my face. Once I received the bullet mold ($65 & almost three months later) I built a frame out of 1”X1” .095 mild steel. I used double split set collars (2.25 ea.) to hold the oil lite bearings (1.14 ea.), for the main shaft (3/4” OD); this will provide easy maintenance in the future. The mold carriers were machined from 1” solid stock. I rolled ½” solid rod for the guide rods to hold the mold shut. Sections of 5/16 24tpi all thread were used on the sides for adjustment. I decided that sitting around pushing a lever (to let the lead flow), and pulling a handle (to throw the bullets out of the mold) might get in the way of some “quality time”. So I went through my stuff and came up with a gear reduced motor that ran at 4rpm. With two bullets in the mold this came out to 480 bullets an hour, about right. Then I hooked a solenoid to an arm that pulled a ¼ stainless steel rod from the bottom of the pot; a ¼ 20 bolt can be adjusted for the amount of flow. Under the pot I milled a slot that diverted the molten lead to the stainless steel orifice plate that has two holes in it the correct distance to hit the center of the mold holes. The solenoid is controlled by a home made timer (duration of flow) using a 555 integrated circuit (from Radio Shack). I can adjust the pour time from 0 to 10 seconds with 10 turns from a 0-1meg ohm potentiometer (1 sec a turn). This fine adjustment is needed for the sprue (part above the actual bullet/s) to fill properly without spilling over. A double pole single throw switch controls the whole process. When the actuating arm hits the switch, the timer, with a double pole double throw relay, stops the motor while simultaneously pouring lead. As soon as the timer stops the flow of lead the motor begins to drive the mold down, cutting the sprue then hitting two pieces of angle iron that split the mold apart, dropping the sprue into one divider and the bullets into another. Then the process begins again. I found a fan is needed to keep the mold cool enough for the 480 rnd an hour pace, in summer heat. I also added an extra timer for a cool down pause (1-30secs), after the mold opens, to further cool if needed for 350 + grn bullets. The main benefit of the automation is that I can size concurrent with casting (I built an automated sizer too) and that cuts the time it takes to make a finished bullet in half.

[HSMITH]

Now that is really cool jmorris!! Well done!!

[Intel6]

Neal in AZ